It's As Simple As That
by mandaree1
Summary: Buttercup has a secret she's been keeping from her family. An unlikely 'ally' helps her fight her fears and embrace the truth. (Warnings Inside)
1. It's As Simple As That

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Powerpuff Girls**

**Summary: Buttercup has a secret she's been keeping from her family. An unlikely ally helps her get over her fears and embrace the truth.**

**Title: It's As Simple As That**

**Warnings: Transgender Buttercup**

**Authors note: No, I don't think Buttercup being transgender has even the smallest foothold of cannon in it. =) I just really liked the idea, so here it is. It's gonna be three or four chapters long, I suspect.**

**...**

"Did you ever want something you couldn't have?"

Ace glanced up, cocking an eyebrow. Buttercup paid him no mind. Her arms were crossed behind her head as she stared at the sky above them. Ace stretched. "Duh. You don't see me livin' in a mansion, do you?" The puff snickered and shook her head. "Why you askin'?"

The relationship between the duo was... strange, at best. They fought, daily, on the battlefield, but they still managed to tolerate each others company on neutral ground, and even found themselves having some things in common. They'd been 'friends' for over three years now, and had yet to get sick of hanging out off hours. Suffice to say, however, few to none knew of their secret friendly rendezvous.

She shrugged. "No reason."

"This is about you, huh?" The girl froze for a moment in consideration before sullenly nodding. "Yeah, it sucks, but it's not like ya' have ta' wait forever, right?"

"Still feels like it." She sighed, shifting her arms from behind her head to instead clench them around her waist. "Two more years..."

"You've been waitin' two, ya can handle two more." He grunted, turning to stare up at the sky. "So... do they know yet?"

"No." She snapped. Her emerald eyes came to rest on her hands. "I mean, they know something's..._ off_... about me, but it's not like stuff like this ever really comes up in conversation. They have no idea." She chuckled sourly. "I think they think I'm a lesbian. They ain't that far off, when you think about it."

"I see..." He mused. Pushing his glasses back up the ridge of his nose, he spoke once again. "... You know, if I went to the boys and told 'em I was gay, they'd be weirded out."

"Good thing you're not." She returned. Ace shook his head.

"No, I ain't, but if I was, they'd be weirded out for awhile. They wouldn't _say_ nothin', but they would be._ But_, even if it did weird 'em out fer awhile, they'd still care for me and be there for me, and, eventually, they'd learn to accept it."

"Good friends..." She muttered. "It must be nice to have 'em..."

He shook his head. "Not friends._ Family_." Rolling onto his knees, he prodded the teen in the chest. "Just like yers. And, if me and the boys can accept each other, then yer family can- and will- accept you."

Buttercup shook her head and sat up, swatting the hand away. "It's one thing to be gay. My family wouldn't _care_ if I liked girls over guys. But,_ this_..." She gestured to herself with a hand. "_This_ is different."

"I don't see how." He argued, nudging her shoulder. "I've known fer awhile now, and you don't see me runnin'."

"Dating preferences are one thing, Ace, gender changes are another." She sighed, sounding surprisingly subdued compared to her usual self. She stood up and shoved her hands into her pockets. "I... they'll... God, I just... I just _don't know_, okay!? Maybe they'll accept me; maybe they won't. I'm not willing to take that chance. See ya." Halfheartedly waving a hand, she quickly took off down the street and out of the junkyard.

Frowning, Ace sourly turned over, crossing his arms. "That went well." He sighed. "Well... it was worth a try, I guess. He'll be back... eventually. He always comes back. It's as simple as that."

**No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!**

**Newer Author's Note: I'm planning on changing the pronouns from the second chapter on. **


	2. Not So Simple

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Powerpuff Girls.**

**Summary: Buttercup has a secret she's been keeping from her family. An unlikely 'ally' helps her fight her fears and embrace the truth**

**Title: It's As Simple As That**

**Chapter Name: Not That Simple**

**Warnings: Transgender Buttercup**

**Authors Note: No, I don't think Buttercup being transgender has even the smallest foothold of cannon in it. =) I just really liked the idea, so here it is. It's going to be three or four chapters long, I suspect.**

**...**

Everything would change, and he hated change.

_"Isn't she a little old to still be dressing like that?"_

_"Mom, why doesn't Buttercup act like a girl?"_

_"You'd think she'd at least have a few girly attributes, considering her sisters..."_

_He sunk further down into his jacket, staring at the floor. He grit his teeth and ignored the urge to scream the truth at the top of his lungs. Bubbles patted his shoulder._

_"Don't worry Buttercup, they're all talk."_

_"Yeah, Buttercup." Blossom smiled. "They just don't get it."_

_'Neither do you', he wanted to say, 'neither do you.'_

He skidded around a corner, the sudden stop forcing him to crouch down and prop himself up with one hand. Quickly pushing himself back up, Buttercup took off down the old alleyway, eyes squeezed shut.

_"You'll always be our sister." Blossom swore._

_"Yeah, sister..." He mumbled uneasily, crawling into his corner of the bed. I__f only they knew._

'Sister.'

The word echoed through his racing mind. Shivers ran up his spine.

'Sister.'

_'Brother.'_

A drop of water plopped onto his nose, startling him from his daze. Glancing up, he took in the dark clouds swirling above the horizon as the rain fell down, quickly turning from a gentle patter to heavy sheets. Pulling his hat further down to block a bit of the rain, he took off down the alley. Wiping his face of the water dripping down into his eyes, he turned into the nearest building, pulled open the door, and ran inside.

Sliding into a stool in front of the grill, he quietly took in the familiar smell of cooking pancakes and the lack of people in the small restaurant. The place itself was small, a one room restaurant with only a few chairs and a bar-like seating area in front of the grill. He gave the chief a quick, distracted wave before turning around and looking outside at the pouring rain coming down outside.

It'd been awhile since he'd gotten caught up in a rain storm, he mused, settling his chin on his hand, his elbow resting on the counter. A long, long time. The last time he'd gotten stuck...

_"Hey, dude, you okay?" Ace questioned, shoving his hands into his soaking wet pockets. His head was buried in his arms, hat pulled over his face and hair. Gaining no answer, he crouched down and put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, you awake?"_

_Lifting his head slightly out of her arms, Buttercup's green eyes fixed on the person beside her. Recognizing the eyes in an instant, he flinched and scrambled backwards. "Buttercup!?" Calming a bit when he realized the puff wasn't going to hurt him, he sat up. "Uh, hey Buttercup. Look, uh... sorry, I didn't realize it was you. With your hat pulled down like that, you kinda look like a... Sorry."_

_He buried his head in his arms, shoulders beginning to shake. "Hey, hey, don't start cryin'! I don't wanna get my butt kicked!" He sighed, pulling himself up beside him. "Alright, what's the matter?"_

_Buttercup shook his head, shivering from the cold rain running down his neck. "N-Nothing. I'm just having a bad day, is all."_

_Behind his glasses, Ace rolled his eyes. "Rrrriiiight. Okay, now tell me what's really going on."_

The clinking of a plate being set down on the table startled him out of his trance. "Here you go. On the house, just for you." The familiar voice made him freeze. He whipped around. Him turned back to his stove. "It should help you warm up."

"Him!" Buttercup burst to his feet, balling his hands into fists. "What're _you_ doing here!?"

"I own this place. What else would I be doing here?" He snorted, fiddling with the heat of the flame. "The better question would have to be what_ you_ are doing here this late at night. Shouldn't you be at home, with your sisters?"

"I... got caught up with something." He slumped down in the stool, pushing the plate away suspiciously. "No thanks."

"I see..." He pushed the plate back. "It's not poisoned. A young man such as yourself needs to eat to get big."

"I'm not a kid..." He grunted. A moment's consideration. He froze. "Wait, what? How did you...?" He paused, mouth snapping shut.

"Oh please." He chuckled, pouring batter onto the sizzling pan. "I've known for a long time. Probably even before you did. The problem at hand, however, is the fact that your family _doesn't_ know."

_"I... It's hard to explain." He grunted, looking away._

_Ace shrugged, stretching out, arms resting on his sides. "I'm listenin'."_

Buttercup shook his head, pushed the plate back, and rested his head on his arms, watching the creature cook. "I'm plannin' on telling 'em."

Him chuckled and rolled his eyes, idly watching the batter cook. "Planning and doing are two very different things. Have you even bothered to plan anything out"

"No." He shrugged. "I'm a doer, not a planner."

"If your such a_ doer_, Buttercup, then tell me this." He glanced away from the stove long enough to gain eye contact. "What's stopping you?"

_"I... I'm not a girl.. At least, I don't think I am..." He paused, burying his head deeper in his arm, muffling his voice. "I.. I'm a guy."_

"I hate change." Buttercup grunted, watching the butter run down the side of the pancake. "I don't want it to be 'the Powerpuff Girls _and_ Buttercup.' It'd suck."

"Ahh, I see." He flipped the pancake over. "But change is important. If things don't change, you won't be happy."

"Why do you care about my happiness?" She grunted, bringing her head off the table.

_"A guy, huh?" He paused, watching the rain fall. "That's... not quite what I was expectin', honestly? It's no big, though. It's just gender."_

_"It's a lot more than that, and you know it." _

_He chuckled, tilting his head downwards. "Yeah, I know, I just didn't want ta' be rude."_

_"Why do you care about you being rude to me?"_

_"'Cause this is important." He paused. "That, and I don't want ta' get my butt kicked."_

"Because, when you're unhappy, you suck at fighting." He set the finished pancake on top of the stack on his plate. "When I finally get the strength up for a battle, I want to be fighting _the_ Powerpuff Girls, not the two Powerpuff Girl's and Buttercup." He grinned. "It's a lot more fun that way."

_"Look, this is gonna take me awhile to get used ta'." He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. "But... it doesn't really matter to me. Yer secret is safe with me."_

_Buttercup smiled slightly. "Uh, thanks, Ace. You ain't as bad as I thought. You're still bad, don't get me wrong, but there is something about you that's slightly okay."_

_He rolled his eyes, his voice full of sarcasm. "Gee, thanks." _

"If you don't let things change, then you'll never be truly happy. If you aren't happy, then your performance on the battlefield will falter. If your performance on the battlefield sucks, then I might win someday." His grin turned playfully sadistic (an odd mixture, Buttercup decided). "So, basically, not telling them is even more foolish then telling them. You might want to consider that in your final decision."

Buttercup sighed, sourly pulling the plate closer. "You know... I think I'll take the free pancakes."

"I thought you would." He glanced out the window. "The rain'll stop soon. You might want to go home and... _talk_ with your family."

He hated change, but things had to change to move forward. It was as simple as that.

**No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!**


	3. Simple Enough

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Powerpuff Girls**

**Summary: Buttercup has a secret she's been keeping from her family. An unlikely 'ally' helps her fight her fears and embrace the truth.**

**Chapter Title: Simple Enough**

**Warnings: Transgender FtM Buttercup**

**Authors note: I've been using the female pronouns for Buttercup for a reason. It's supposed to be a symbol of how his family (and the world) saw him. I was planning on having the male pronouns start after the confession, but the first part is in Ace's point of view, and he only uses the male pronouns whenever he considers/thinks/talks about him.**

**I plan on using the male pronouns in the next (last) chapter as a symbol that the world is now aware of Buttercup's actual gender.  
**

**I'm sorry if I've offended anyone or have seemed ignorant by the way I've by the pronouns I have been using.**

**...**

Huffing irritably, Ace kicked a stone aside, a deep frown etched across his face.

Three days. Three days since Buttercup had run off during their hang out. Three days since he'd seen or heard from the superhero. Three days since he'd honesty done anything the least bit interesting.

It wasn't that he relied on the boy for fun. Far from it. But, he had to admit, he was rather used to having the teen hanging around with him, causing havoc and helping him create small-time, mostly legal, mischief. The Powerpuff sure knew how to have fun, that was for sure, and his adventurous spirit and popularity had helped show him a whole other side to Townsville.

And as much as he hated to admit it, this was probably his fault, at least partially. Buttercup knew every crack and crevice in Townsville thanks to him, and he didn't doubt that he was hiding out in one of those select places now, and, as much as he wanted to intervene, he held himself back. Buttercup needed to find the answers on his own.

Still, that didn't mean he wasn't bored. Which he was. _Very _bored_._

He sighed and shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. Bored or not, standing around in some alley wasn't doing him any good. He was far to old to sit around pouting like a toddler. At least, in public, that is.

There was a flash of red and blue, which barely registered in his mind's eye before he was slammed against the wall. Wincing at the feeling of his back being pressed into hard brick, he raised a mostly calm eyebrow. Blossom glared.

"Where's Buttercup?"

He shrugged, ignoring the feeling of clenched muscles popping. Buttercup always endeavored to hold back his strength around him, at least enough to make sure he didn't break any bones, but his sisters didn't bother with the same pleasantries. Perhaps it was their attempt at intimidation, but it didn't really scare him like they probably hoped it did. "No clue."

"Uh, Blossom?" Bubbles tugged on her sleeve. "You might want to let up a bit. You might break something."

Blossom didn't answer, but her grip loosened a little. "She's your friend. You always know where Buttercup is."

"Hey, It's not like I got Buttercup on GPS or anythin'." He cracked a smile. "I was about to go looking for him- er, her myself."

Bubbles cocked her head to the side, having obviously misheard. "Himer?"

Desperate for an excuse, his eyes darted about the alley. He nodded. "Uh, yeah. It's a... a nickname! I've been calling him- _himer_ that for awhile now." Blossom raised a skeptical eyebrow. He chuckled nervously. "Heh."

"...That's a really weird nickname." The leader mused suspiciously.

"Yeah, but when have we ever been normal, right?" He caught a flash of green out of the corner of his eye and smirked. _'Bout time, Buttercup._

He cocked his head to the side, arms crossed against his chest. "Nickname? What nickname?" Ace gestured to the girl floating eye-level with him with his hands. "And since when did you guys start hanging out with Ace?"

"Buttercup!" The two girls tackled the green puff to the ground in a hug. He fell hard onto his backside, but allowed the gesture as Ace pushed himself off the rock wall and brushed the dirt away.

"Missed you guys too... can't... breathe..." He wheezed pitifully. The two girls immediately let go and helped him to his feet. "Sorry I haven't been home lately. I was... I needed to work the courage up. I, uh, I got something I need to tell you guys. You two and the Professor."

Ace face brightened. He grinned. "About time!"

Buttercup grabbed his arm with a nervous smirk. "And since you're so interested in me tellin' them, you get to come with."

Ace groaned, but dutifully allowed himself to be dragged down the alleyway, the other two puffs following along behind them. "You just want me around to make sure you don't chicken out." He accused.

"Guilty as charged. That, and I need someone's hand to hold. You know, like in the corny drama movies."

"If you break my hand, I swear... You'll be payin' for my medical bills!"

"You know you're a masochist when the only threat you can make to-"

"Don't finish that sentence." He grunted. Buttercup chuckled sardonically.

Well, he wasn't going to be bored anytime soon.

* * *

"So, uh, that's it." Buttercup didn't look up. He squeezed Ace's hand tighter, eyes fixed on his shoes. He chuckled anxiously. "You, uh, can probably find more stuff on the internet. You know, to fill in the holes and stuff..."

"Oh, Buttercup..." Blossom breathed. "H-How long?"

"It doesn't quite work like that." He mumbled. "...I figured it out awhile ago, though. Around the time we hit puberty. I told Ace a year or two ago."

She raised an eyebrow at the green man. "Himer?"

"Eh." He shrugged. "What can I say? I suck at lyin' about this kinda stuff."

Buttercup chuckled. "Yeah, Ace's pretty good about using the right pronouns, so..."

Bubbles burst forward, and, in one smooth motion, she leapt onto his lap and hugged him tight, curling her head into his shoulder. "Buttercup..."

"Uh, hey?" He awkwardly patted her back, glancing back and forth from Ace and the bob of blonde hair. Ace smiled wide, smug in the knowledge he'd get a good 'I told you so' in later. He nudged his side irritably, but otherwise couldn't move with the teen curled around his neck like a vice.

She pulled back, resting her hands on his shoulders. "You should've told us."

"I know." He finally looked up. Green met red over Bubble's hair. "You guys aren't, I don't know... disgusted? By this? By me?"

"Disgusted?" She tilted her head to the side in thought before shaking it back and forth. "Nope. I'm a bit confused, but not disgusted. This is... This is gonna take some getting used to..."

"I'm good with that." He smiled wide.

The Professor hmmed, a hand going to his chin in thought. "While I don't really understand it quite yet, I'll look into it further... I might be able to change your gender, given enough time." He jogged towards the lab, calling over his shoulder. "If not, we have plenty of money, so... if you should feel the need..."

He blinked, watching the man disappear down the stairwell. "Did I just become the Professors newest project?"

Blossom shrugged. "I do believe so."

Bubbles giggled. "I think it's his way of coping. He'll let up once he figures it out."

"I sure hope so." He grumbled, the twitch of a smile finally overcoming his face.

"Uh, Buttercup?" Bubbles glanced down to avoid his gaze. "... I can still call you Buttercup, right?"

"Huh?" His head tilted to the side in confusion. "Whattya mean?"

"Well... Buttercup's not really a guys name..."

"Oh, that." He shrugged. "I like my name. It's my name, the name I've been called for forever. So what if it's a little girly? I'm not planning on changing it."

"Okay!" She cheered, slipping off his lap to plop onto the empty seat next to him.

Ace smirked. "Told ya it would work out."

"Oh, shut up." He punched the older man's shoulder. Hard.

He punched him back, harder. "You should know by now that I'm always right."

Buttercup pounced, bowling the green man over to roughhouse. In the back of his mind he vaguely heard the chuckling of his siblings.

Perhaps it was simpler than he had thought. Not very simple, but simple enough.

**(Repeat) Authors note: I've been using the female pronouns for Buttercup for a reason. It's supposed to be a symbol of how his family (and the world) saw him. I was planning on having the male pronouns start after the confession, but the first part is in Ace's point of view, and he only uses the male pronouns whenever he considers/thinks/talks about him.**

**I plan on using the male pronouns in the next (last) chapter as a symbol that the world is now aware of Buttercup's actual gender.  
**

**I'm sorry if I've offended anyone or have seemed ignorant by the way I've by the pronouns I have been using.**

**No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!**


	4. Epilogue- It's As Simple As That

**Disclaimer: I don't own Powerpuff Girls**

**Title: It's As Simple As That**

**Summary: Buttercup has a secret she's been keeping from her family. An unlikely 'ally' helps her fight her fears and embrace the truth. (Warnings Inside)**

**Author's Note: Final Chapter!... I wish. (check bottom Author's Note)**

**...**

The tuxedo was tight in all the wrong places and loose in the places it should've been tight, but Buttercup didn't complain. If anything, it was an upshoot from the green dress they were planning on making him wear.

Alright, so maybe he hadn't put up much of a fight on the dress, but it'd been more to please his sisters than anything else. The Professor had, a whole stunning week before the prom, realized that he didn't have the proper formal attire for a boy his age that was going to a dance, and had pulled them out of bed just as the stores had opened to go looking for a tux. On a Saturday. Before noon. When no emergency in sight. Blossom and Bubble's both had been gifting him with the odd glare ever since, but that was more of a sibling thing than an actual disagreement.

Buttercup had been fine with the dress, honestly. He didn't really like it, but he couldn't find it in him to put up a fight. But now that he had a real, working tux, there wasn't anything, come hell or high water, that was going to get him to wear it in public.

(At least, not while the world was adjusting.)

Blossom and Bubble's were still putting their finishing touches on their ensembles, so Buttercup patiently waited for them at the streetlight. People point and stare as they pass.

"That's Buttercup, isn't it?"

"Oh, yes,_ her_."

"What is she trying to prove, anyway?"

"Mom, why is Buttercup so strange?"

A prick of irritation nipped him. Buttercup had been out to the world a whopping two months now, but some people still didn't want to believe it. Would it kill them to at least wait until he was out of earshot before they started picking him apart?

Blossom's face scrunched up in irritation as she jogged up to met him, giving him a swift hug and a loud "You look great, bro!" before pulling back and glaring at passerby.

"Uh, Blossom? You might want to be careful with that glare of yours. The last thing we need is for you to melt someone's face off with your heat vision."

Blossom scoffed, but stopped glaring. "Are you okay?" She turned her worried gaze to him.

Buttercup shrugged and shoved his hands into his pockets, smirking. "Never better."

"Alright, I'm here. Where's the party?"

Blossom and Bubble's both raise an eyebrow as Ace called to them from down the street, dressed in a well-worn, somewhat-holey tux.

"Depends. You got anything illegal on you?"

Ace gave Buttercup a wounded look. "Why, Buttercup, I'm amazed you would think I would_ ever_ do something as horrible as bring alcohol to a party for minors." Buttercup gave him a look. Ace shook his head, grinning. "Nah, I don't got anything. As your chaperone, I gotta be the responsible one, remember?"

"You don't know_ how_ to be responsible, Ace."

"Ah, shut up." He waved a hand. "Nice monkey suit, by the way."

"Better than yours." He retorted, tugging at a sleeve. He frowned thoughtfully. "It's better than the stupid dress I thought I was gonna have to wear, at least. Too frilly for my tastes."

"It was the simplest one we could find!" Blossom crossed her arms. Bubbles chuckled and shook her head.

"It has_ lace_, Blossom. You know how much I hate lace."

"Oh, whatever."

"Anyways," Bubbles butted in. "Maybe we should get going?"

"It would be a good idea if we did." Buttercup agreed after checking the position of the sinking sun. "Responsible chaperones first, O grungy one."

Ace snorted. "Nah, I thought I'd take up the rear. Less chance there'll be any stragglers that way."

Blossom rolled her eyes and easily took up the lead. Buttercup and Ace followed in the back, Bubbles humming a merry tune between them.

"Hey." Ace grabbed his arm and lowered his voice to a whisper.

"Yeah?"

He smirked. "I told you so."

It was as simple as that.

**Author's Note: Well, that's the epilogue. Everything should be over now, right?**

**Wrong.**

**I've got a extra chapter in the works, which I plan on posting at some point in the future. _Then_ I'll be finished with this thing.**

**I also plan on rereading the chapters and fixing the mistakes, as well as changing the pronouns in chapter 2 (but not chapter 1 or the title, I think I'll keep those for the 'Huh?' factor). I'd like to get your opinions. **

**Please?**

**Don't like don't read! No flames! Review!**


	5. Bonus Chapter- Acceptance

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Powerpuff Girls**

**Title: It's As Simple As That**

**Summary: Buttercup has a secret she's been keeping from her family. An unlikely 'ally' helps her fight her fears and embrace the truth.**

**Warnings: FtM (Female to Male) transgender Buttercup, the use of a harmful word (Dyke, to be specific. I can't tell you how much I hate that word.)**

**Chapter Title: Bonus Chapter- Acceptance**

**...**

"Chips, soda, magazines..."

Buttercup grunted and turned the music up on his mp3player. The volume had been locked ages ago by the Professor ("I don't want you to not be able to hear when danger is coming, Buttercup. You can still blast your tunes, just not at the level you've _been_ blasting them at."), but, maybe, if he focused hard enough, he could block out his sisters and focus on the book on his lap.

"Movies, popcorn, nail polish..."

Buttercup sighed. Well, he could hope.

Blossom put her hands on her hips, taking in the way he was leaning against the wall on his side of the bed (they still slept on the same bed, it was just a lot bigger than the old one. Buttercup slept against the wall, Bubbles slept in the middle- restless sleeper, they didn't want her falling off in the middle of the night-, and Blossom took the outer edge.) "Buttercup, are you going to stay like that all night?"

"Of course he is." Bubbles giggled, laying out the extra blankets they usually kept for winter on the couch to be used as the group of teenage girls saw fit. "Buttercup's a party pooper, remember?"

When he was little, Buttercup had really liked sleepovers. They got to stay up late, they could watch scary movies (not that they did, often, but the thought was enough), and they could look through magazines and gawk at the male models like a bunch of loons. (Now, if he were to be completely honest, he still did. But not out of jealousy or anything like he used to, but out of interest. Hey, there was nothing wrong with a guy liking to look at other guys, right? So what if it made his sexuality... questionable?) (Okay, if he were honest about _that_, there wasn't anything questionable about it. He'd known were he stood sexuality-wise for a long time now, but he'd already crawled out of one closet, and he wasn't quite ready to crawl out of the other one.)

Now he saw them for what they really were; a bunch of hormone-swamped girls sitting around, binging on sweets, and gossiping. And the worst part of it was, in his mind, at least, was that most of the talk was about him. Or, rather, it used to be.

_"Buttercup, why don't you ever wear makeup? You have to be allergic, or something."_

_"Eugh, Buttercup, you look like a **boy**. You seriously need some new clothes."_

_"You have such pretty hair, Buttercup. Why don't you ever try to grow it long?"_

Buttercup hadn't seen his sisters friends outside of school since a few weeks before his coming out to his family (and, in turn, the whole stinkin' world. The downsides of being a hero...), and he'd secretly hoped it'd stay that way. Blossom and Bubble's tastes in friends were rather stereotypical, while his were anything but (then again, Ace was a flavor one had to get used to), and he never really had any fun when they were around.

Blossom and Bubble's were, as normal, oblivious. Buttercup was no snitch, and he wasn't about to go whining to his sisters about their taste in friendships and make them choose sides. It wouldn't be very gentlemanly of him, nor was it right.

"I don't like sleepovers." He reminded them, turning a page.

"Afraid to get down and be a little girly?" Blossom teased him with a smile.

"Afraid I'll never get the glitter you guys toss around out of my clothes." He retorted with a grimace, remembering glitter-bombs of days past.

"Hey! We're not_ that_ bad!"

"Oh yeah? Try me." Buttercup crossed his arms, book resting comfortably in his lap.

The doorbell rang. Blossom 'hmphed' and shuffled out the door, Bubbles following close behind. Buttercup chuckled in success and went back to his world of loud music and books.

"Don't mind him, girls. My brother's sulking, like usual." He vaguely heard Blossom chirp as they stepped into the room. Buttercup grunted and turned the music up.

Even with the mute on, Buttercup knew a corny chick flick moment when he saw one. Makeovers, hairstyles, magazines, gossip, tubs of ice cream and popcorn (which actually sounded pretty good right now). He left them in peace and, in turn, they left him alone.

Eventually his ears started to hurt, so he turned the music down and tried to ignore the display going on beside him. Buttercup didn't mind getting down and girly, usually, but not in front of others. Not this soon.

"Come'on, Bubbles, I need some help carrying up more popcorn." Blossom lightly tugged on her shoulder.

Bubbles nodded and stood up, following her out the room. Buttercup watched them go with longing.

Where was Ace when you needed him?

Without his sister around to liven things up, the room grew quiet. The other girls messed with their phones or watched the TV screen. It was like everyone was strangers to each other, with a common cause they worked together for that had suddenly left them. Buttercup made a noise in the back of his throat and turned away.

"She's _still_ here? Seesh, creeper much?"

Buttercup not-so-subtly turned his music up. But, due to the wonders that were super-hearing and volume locks, it didn't really do him much good.

"Yeah, really. I don't think she's said a word all night."

"_Who_ does she think she is?"

"Stupid dyke."

Buttercup bristled and stood up. Right, new plan. Take a quick shower, grab a change of clothes, then take off for the junkyard. Ace wouldn't mind him crashing at his place for the night; he was a cool guy when he had to be.

He left the door partially open for his siblings as he stomped down the hall to the bathroom, music player and book forgotten. Screw this. Screw all of them. He was _Buttercup_, a_ Powerpuff_, for pete's sake. He didn't have to take this.

He passed Blossom and Bubble's halfway to the bathroom. For whatever reason, he found he couldn't look them in the eye as he passed them.

True to his nature, Buttercup took short showers when he was in a hurry and long showers when he was mad. Today was more of a latter than a former.

Buttercup dried his hair last, then tossed the towel back on the rack. He frowned at his half-dry chest. "This is all your fault, you know." He muttered, half-bitter, half-humor.

"Buttercup!" Blossom pounded on the door. "Is there _any_ hot water left?"

He pulled on his jeans and t-shirt with an audible shrug. "Probably not."

"Jerk!"

"Hey, it'll come back. Just give it some time."

"Whatever." She stepped out of the way for him to step into the hall. "Come'on, it's almost time for bed."

Buttercup shrugged. "Actually, I think I'm gonna go crash at Ace's after all. Less glitter." _And less annoying girls_.

Blossom crossed her arms. "The GangGreen Gang are still in jail from yesterday's robbery."

"The _house_ isn't in jail now, is it?"

"Buttercup, _please_." She grabbed his arm and dragged him down the hall. "I don't like the thought of you sleeping in that place all alone."

"Nothings gonna happen. No one's_ that_ stupid."

"I don't care. I'm leader; I worry. It's kinda my job."

"Whatever."

"You're _so_ supportive, you know that?"

Buttercup 'hnned' in response.

The girls didn't so much as glance at him when he stiffly marched back into the room, and he didn't look at them. Screw Blossom and her it's-for-the-best orders. He could always sneak out after everyone was asleep. No one would miss him.

"My _brother_ thought it'd be a good idea to waste all the hot water, so we're gonna have to wait a little bit before we can start taking showers. Sorry, girls. I just don't know what's gotten into him."

She flopped onto the couch with a sigh of frustration. Buttercup fell into the bed and curled up under the blankets, facing the wall, not really interested in waiting but desperate enough to do so.

_A few more hours won't kill me._

Bubble's giggled. "He really doesn't like sleepovers, doesn't he?"

"I guess not..." Blossom murmured. "Looks like we're gonna have to have sleepovers at your guy's houses from now on, if they bother him _this_ much."

"Oh, she's fine. She probably just doesn't want to deal with us." One of them, a girl with long hair and dark eyes, scoffed.

Blossom stared at her a long moment, brow furrowing. "She?"

"Well, yeah. Buttercup _is_ a girl, after all."

Bubbles shook her head, bright blonde curls hitting her face, a grin as bright as the sun itself on her face. "Nope!"

"Huh. The news must not have spread as much as I thought it had." The pink puff crossed her arms, a thoughtful look on her face. "Buttercup's transgender, girls. It's why he was always so awkward about things like this."

"Well, that and he hate's sleepovers." Bubbles shrugged, stretching. "He's just silly like that."

He could only _imagine_ the looks the girls must have been giving his sisters. "Blossom, you don't have to pretend. We all know it's an attention thing."

Silence. Buttercup would swear on his life that the temperature in the room dropped a few degrees.

Blossom's face, although he couldn't see it, was perfectly blank, and her voice was made of ice. "_Excuse me_?"

"It's_ is_ though, right? A way for her to get attention, I mean. People don't just suddenly want to switch genders. The_ idea_ of it doesn't make any sense."

The others clucked their tongues. Buttercup was distinctly sure that he heard the dreaded 'D' word being muttered once again. His shoulders tightened under the covers. They almost tore under his grip.

Blossom's face scrunched up in anger. "If you won't show my brother the respect he deserves, then get out of our house."

A beat of silence. "_What_?"

The oldest 'puff stood and pointed at the door, nostrils flaring. "Get. Out."

"You can't be seriou- Bubbles, you're on our side, right?"

Bubbles jerked her head away with a grunt of disappointment and irritation. Her smile was replaced with a frown.

"You can't just-"

"Can. Have. Will."

The third girl scoffed. "Oh, whatever. Better than being stuck here with that attention-hog."

And then, like cockroaches exposed to sudden light, the girls grabbed their things and skittered out the door. Buttercup was impressed. He didn't know normal people could move that fast.

"You can come out of hiding now. They're gone."

"I noticed." Buttercup sat up. "Well, now. That was cliche _and_ awesome. I'm not really sure what to say."

"Don't."

"Alrighty then. I won't."

Bubbles jumped onto the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight grip, burying her face in his semi-damp hair.

"It's not fair."

"What's not fair?"

"That people are so mean to you. You didn't do anything."

Buttercup buried himself deeper in her arms with a shrug. "Yeah, I know."

Blossom joined the embrace with the walk and touch of a 'puff with purpose.

"We love you, bro. Don't ever forget that."

Buttercup grinned. "I won't."

**Author's Note: Was it sappy and fluffy as all get out? Yes. Was it worth the cavities? Always.**

**So... Buttercup's gay. It was never really touched upon in the other chapters, but he likes dudes. He hasn't quite figured out how to tell his family _that_ tidbit yet (not that it would be a big deal or anything), but it's only a matter of time.**

**This is the last chapter, as far as I can tell. The ride's over. Honestly, I'm not sure if a lot of people were even all that interested in reading this or not. But I had fun, so it was worth it.**

**Thanks for reading! Bye, Powerpuff fans! (until I come up with something_ else_ powerpuff-related, that is. Give me time.)**

**-Mandaree1**

**No flames! Don't like don't read! Review!**


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